Hindus approach Malta’s Archbishop to bring religious equality before law

Nevada (US), July 14 (ANI): Hindus have contacted Malta’s Roman Catholic Archbishop Monsignor Paul Cremona urging him to use his good offices to ensure that Malta treats all religions equally in front of the law.

Bhavna Shinde of Forum for Hindu Awakening, in a communiqui to Archbishop Cremona, wrote: Malta Criminal Code reportedly makes one liable to imprisonment up to six months for publicly vilifying ‘Roman Catholic Apostolic Religion’, while committing such an act against ‘any cult tolerated by law’ makes one liable to imprisonment only up to three months.

As you very well know, equality is the fundamental tenet of Judeo-Christian faith of which Catholicism is a significant part. As the Archbishop of Malta and President of Maltese Episcopal Conference of Roman Catholic Church, your words are highly valued by Malta leaders and citizens.

Please use your good offices to ensure that Malta treats all religions including Hinduism equally in front of the law.

Meanwhile, in the recent past, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA, in a statement on this issue, said that it seemed to imply that except Roman Catholic, other religions and denominations including Hinduism and Judaism were just one of the cults in the eyes of Malta.

Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Freirich, argued that it was perturbing to note that a country of Europe, which prided itself for its human rights initiatives, apparently treated crimes against religious sentiment of “other” religions/denominations as less serious than against majority religion and described religions/denominations other than majority religion as cults.

Maltese islands were first settled reportedly in 5,200 BCE. Few European countries have such concentrated architecture, history, and beaches in so small an area as Malta. (ANI)